Session details: Workshop: workshop on problem understanding and real-world optimisation

Abstract

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the 2014 GECCO Workshop on Problem Understanding and Real World Optimisation (PURO). This year's workshop builds upon the success of last year's even which was organized as part of GECCO 2013, held in the VU University in Amsterdam. Last year's event was a joint workshop combining workshops on problem understanding organised by Kent McClymont of the University of Exeter and on real world optimisation organized by Emma Hart from Edinburgh Napier University. Based on the success of last year's joint workshop this year's event merges the two workshops into a single event covering both ranges of topics. This workshop aims to provide a single forum for the presentation and discussion of works focused on optimisation problems rather than the methods for solving them. The workshop brings together the study of real-world optimisation problems with the theoretical analysis and synthesis of problems. The workshop will focus on, but not be limited to, topics such as: Methods for identifying and constructing models for new optimisation problems. Study of real-world optimisation problems and case studies. Theoretical and practical analysis of optimisation problems. Fitness landscape analysis of real-world problems. Classification and ontological analysis of problems. Development of and technologies for building benchmark test problems. Technologies and theoretical works supporting the implementation, examination and application of real-world and test problems. The call for papers attracted submissions from Asia, Canada, Europe, and the United States. The topics covered address some of the real world issues and constraints imposed by industry and the complications associated with applying highly specialised techniques to real world problems. In addition, the program includes two keynote speeches, one from an industrial perspective and the other from academia. We are very grateful to both speakers, Anna I Esparcia-Alcazar from S2 GRUPO, Spain and Darrell Whitley from Colorado State University, USA who both have extensive knowledge of biologically inspired computing techniques within both industrial and academic environments.